BJP, Amit Shah failed in Operation Lotus against TMC, says Kirti Azad

The BJP is trying to engineer a split in the Trinamool Congress through coercion, blackmail and inducements, and has failed to secure the numbers required for a breakaway group, according to Trinamool Congress MP Kirti Azad.

In an exclusive interview with The Federal, he also alleged that several MPs were pressured to support the purported rebellion and asserted that former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee remains the party's undisputed leader despite the ongoing crisis.

Azad spoke about the reported rebellion, the chances of the BJP carrying out a split in the TMC, and the challenges facing Mamata's party. Edited excerpts:

Why is this rebellion happening in TMC in the first place?

Operation Lotus, which is always orchestrated by Amit Shah, is no breaking news. We have seen this happening with the Shiv Sena, the NCP, the Janata Dal (United), the Biju Janata Dal and the Shiromani Akali Dal. This is a basic characteristic of the BJP. They want to capture everything by hook or by crook.

As far as the Trinamool Congress is concerned, some people were blackmailed. A few were involved in controversies. Suvendu Adhikari, for instance, had a case registered against him and he then joined the BJP. This is the crux of the matter.

Also read: Crisis in Mamata's TMC leaves Bengal’s Opposition politics at a crossroads

They want an Opposition-free India. Earlier, they said Congress-mukt (Congress-free) Bharat. Now it is Congress-yukt (Congree-added) BJP.

Is the BJP trying to shore up numbers in the Lok Sabha for future constitutional amendments?

Exactly. That is what it is. They want delimitation because, after the census, seats will be increased according to population. The South did what India wanted by controlling population and did it very well, so it could lose seats. The North will gain seats.

They (BJP) are bullies. When they are in power, they are very cruel. When they are out of power, they become cowards.

They have complete control. The agenda and messaging come from the BJP and are amplified by what I call the godi media.They are targeting the Trinamool Congress because Mamata Banerjee is a very strong leader. She formed the party on her own. She did not inherit it. They feel threatened by her.

They are bullies. When they are in power, they are very cruel. When they are out of power, they become cowards.

They want to break the TMC. Some people were offered money. Certain people were blackmailed.

You alleged that pressure tactics are being used against TMC leaders. What exactly do you mean?

There were no ED or CBI cases against me. They tried to bribe me. When I did not succumb to their charms, they took away the security personnel I am entitled to as a Member of Parliament. My PSOs were removed. Home guards were removed.

I am telling you this as breaking news. BJP goons may someday come to my house in Bardhaman-Durgapur and attack me.

Also read: BJP’s ‘Operation Lotus’ in Bengal has failed: TMC MP Kirti Azad

Five first-time MPs were attacked. Security was withdrawn. Everything was taken away. They will attack me also. They want to capture power by hook or by crook.

Five thousand of our workers have been put in jail. Were all of them corrupt? Twenty-five deaths have taken place, including seven in police custody. People were called to police stations and beaten up while the police remained mute spectators.

Their objective is to get a two-thirds majority, implement delimitation, change the Constitution and move towards a presidential form of government with Narendra Modi at the top.

How do you view the BJP's political position ahead of 2029?

They talked about crossing 400 seats but ended up with only 240. They secured 37 per cent of the vote and that support is declining because students and young people are coming out on the streets and protesting.

The media does not show these protests. Prices of petrol, diesel and LPG have gone up. Unemployment has increased. Inflation remains high.

Mamata Banerjee did not inherit this party. She founded it. Not even Abhishek Banerjee can claim to win entirely on his own.

Foreign policy is also important. We stopped taking oil from Iran because Donald Trump said so. Now we are being told to take oil from Venezuela. This is what the country is all about today.

Can you clarify how many TMC MPs have actually rebelled?

You mentioned that people are being paraded. But no final list has been produced. Every day there is a different list. Two names are added, two names are removed. We have seen three or four lists already, all with different names, although the number remains 19.

What happened to those who were in the first list and disappeared from the second? What happened to those who were removed later?

Also read: What went wrong for Mamata Banerjee and what lies ahead for TMC? | Capital Beat

The reality is that they do not have the numbers and Amit Shah has failed in his Operation Lotus.This is the first time it has happened. I have been told that three MPs now want to withdraw their signatures and do not want to be part of this exercise.

Can the rebel MPs form a separate group under the anti-defection law?

When the anti-defection law was passed, two-thirds of a party's MPs could break away and form a separate group. Later, during Atal Bihari Vajpayee's tenure, the law was amended.

Now, two-thirds can leave only if the entire political party merges with another party. They cannot simply form a separate entity in Parliament. They are struggling because they are not getting 19 MPs.

Are you confident the BJP cannot produce 19 rebel MPs?

They may still do it. Amit Shah can do anything. He did it with the Shiv Sena and the NCP. They are trying it with us too.

I have told them it will happen only over my dead body.There are a few people like me. Three MPs do not want to sign. There is a controversy now because they are allegedly being blackmailed.

They are being told that if they withdraw their names, they will be put in jail. Local police are practically stationed outside every MP's house. Some people succumbed in the beginning either because they were corrupt or because they received money. But there are others who refuse to bend.

Has the TMC itself made mistakes that contributed to the situation?

If you have a spine, you have determination. If you do not have a spine, you do not have determination. People should have had the fighting spirit. Even if we suffer for three years, we should continue fighting alongside our leader.

Mamata Banerjee did not inherit this party. She founded it. Not even Abhishek Banerjee can claim to win entirely on his own. If anyone wins, they win because of Mamata Banerjee. She is the leader. If 25 people leave, she will create new leaders. She is a great fighter and a street fighter.

The struggles she has gone through are extraordinary. When I was politically isolated, Congress promised me things but did nothing. Then Mamata Banerjee called my wife. She remembered that my wife had been attending Bhai Phota celebrations with her from 1999 to 2011. She told my wife that I had talent and should join her.

She asked me to come to Delhi the next day and promised to make me a Member of Parliament. I met her and joined. She brought me from nowhere and gave me an opportunity. She brought together people from different backgrounds. Bengal is like mini India.

Mamata is Bengal.

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